like san francisco and oakland are partly to blame. i think most of us hope that the election of president obama would transcend the racial divide. however, even if this divide were somehow overcome, it would not address the racial divide amongst minorities in this country. the reality is that the same prejudice that exists between blacks and whites exist between asians, latinos, and african- americans. the thing of it is that we share so much in common. african-americans and asian- americans. do you novak when the agent exclusion act, the chinese exclusion act was before congress in 1870, the first national leader to speak out against that was frederick douglass. the same man who fought against slavery. do you know that when the

chinese exclusion act was voted on in congress, there was one black senator named blanche bruce, the only african-american in the u.s. senate, voted against it. similarly, we work side-by-side for semel -- civil rights and improve public education. in '86, and laundry owner sued the san francisco board of supervisors for a racially discriminatory law, and it brought equal protection to minorities, and that overturned the 1857 dread scott case, which held that minorities were not protected by the u.s. constitution. we have the landmark case of brown harris is board of education, 1954, to thank for equality in education. -- brown v. board of education. seven years later, the chinese community here worked shoulder to shoulder with the african- american community to expand civil rights and public education. we have a history of working

together. mayer brown, and reverend brown knows very well. in the early 1970's, a community leader from japan town and let the board informed of the african american roundtable to improve relations between japanese and african americans in the western addition, but it is going to take a lot more than just groups coming together to talk about stereotypes and misperceptions. for these tragic deaths, they must rise a responsibility to reach out beyond our communities and make sure that we understand that there is a cost to holding misperceptions and believes that oppress us all. thank you. [applause] >> we have got a great program for you, and for those of you who have attended in years past,

you know that we celebrate with song. we celebrate with dance, and we celebrate recognizing different cultures from around the world, so leading off today is a wonderful performance by students -- yes, they are all students. they are -- their organization is called the golden gate bong what association. these young women are students at san francisco state university and the university of san francisco, and they practice every sunday morning -- that is called dedication. they have got beautiful costumes. you are going to see them perform with their props here, but they celebrate the bunjabi full dance and their culture, and i think it is a wonderful way of celebrating our heritage month. would you please give a warm

welcome to six lovely students? come on, everybody. let's give them a hand. [applause] ♪

[singing in foreign language]

[applause] >> , on, everyone. part of a fabulous -- com onee , everyone. weren't the fabulous? we are all here for these awards, the asian pacific american heritage award honors individuals and organizations who have made direct impact to

their communities. the apa heritage awards are being presented in three categories. for individuals, we have awards for the emerging leadership and lifetime achievements, and the community organizations. we have the community impact award. 50 nominations were received -- 50 -- and top finalists in each category were submitted to a panel of three judges -- the steelers, i might add, and the judges are vicki wong, president and ceo of date advertising, and cindy, a longtime japanese american community activist and volunteer community, and edwin lee, our city administrator. now, presenting the emerging leadership award, please welcome back to the stage supervisor eric mar. [applause]

and the key -- and vicky. >> thank you. the evening. supervisor mar and i are pleased to announce finalists and recipients for the emerging leadership award. in the interests of time, the criteria of the award is listed in the program book. emerging leadership, this category is particularly dear to our heart. maybe to you as well, supervisor, as both of us have young children at home. the finalists are all great models, and we all know that it is important for us to recognize the next generation of leaders whose talent, passion, and commitment to serving the apa community is critical in ensuring that our voices

continue to be heard and addressed. finalists in the emerging leadership category are -- i'm looking at the screen to see if they are listed. harriet wu, thomas lee, anna liu. >> this feels a little bit like the academy awards, and i wish i had an tombolo and said, "and the winner is." the thank you very much to the organizers for acknowledging up- and-coming leaders in our community for they are the ones that will unite and bring our communities together with a stronger voice but also with and that the and support for other communities as well, so it is my pleasure to announce that the recipients of the 2010 apa

heritage award in the emerging leadership category is thomas lee. [applause] thomas, please join us on stage. i'm going to start reading my script so you know about thomas's incredible leadership. i know we have done great work with the community youth center and many community-based organizations. thomas has participated in at least two service projects per week since 2007. carly estop more pursuing a degree in marketing, he has also been active in the community from a very young age and has volunteered for callous area nonprofit organizations. graphic and by design has always been his passion. he has always volunteered he's design skills for countless

organizations, which include building web sites for the chinatown neighborhood center, north beach neighborhood associations, american or in performing arts, and the asian american pageant. he was also a project coordinator ad a community youth center where he spearheaded community clubhouses after school programs. i even visited a program that he created, and he has taught asian youth graphics and web design, so we are honored to announce his leadership in the community. >> i would like the coordinator this year to join us. [applause]

>> congratulations to thomas. do you want to say a few words? >> thank you for this amazing award. i want to thank my parents, my brother, friends and family, but one person that stood out to me is my role model, rose chung, also known as my godmom. she taught me that in the world, that with a little perseverance and dedication, that you should. you should give it a try even though you can make it. throughout the years, she taught me that obstacles are nothing but steppingstones to prepare you for life's challenges to be a better leader, to be a better service and to the community, and being a better friend, and

threw her guidance and support, i stand here today as a proud role model to use -- youth in the community. i thank you, and together, we can build a better, stronger asian community. >> congratulations, and thank you. one more media sponsor i missed -- media is important to me, so i just want to say thank you to our asian week media sponsors. all right, now, to present the community impact award, please welcome city administrator ed lee and city supervisor carmen chu. come on up. [applause]

>> good evening. thank you. supervisor chu are also proud to be here with you tonight and to join you in announcing this category of finalists and recipients for the community impact award. of course, in the interests of time, please refer to your program to see the specific criteria for this award. we also felt it was important to recognize community organizations and the impact they make in our community, especially where the differences they may have a profound and lasting effect on our health, our social, political, and economic well-being of our daily lives. the finalists in the community impact award category are the asian-pacific islander wellness center, the asian student union, the san francisco state university, the california dragon boat association, and the state workshop.

>> now, it is my pleasure to announce that the recipient of the 2010 apa hedge award in the community impact category is -- ready? the asian and pacific islander wellness center. [applause] founded in 1987 as a grass-roots response to the hiv/aids crisis in the asian and pacific islander community, whose center is a health services and education, research and policy organization, his mission is to educate, support, and power and advocate for asian and pacific islander communities, and particularly, for those living with or at risk for hiv/aids, as the oldest american not as profit that focuses on api communities are and how and a

teddy services, the organization has been effective in putting innovative and holistic and effective programs and services in place and programs that benefit all communities. in addition to help and counseling services, the organization has lost numerous innovative initiatives to fight stigma as well as from a generational understanding of issues facing the asian-pacific american families and communities. congratulations. [applause] >> the good evening. thank you so much. of i and the executive director of asian and pacific islander wellness center, and it is actually not just me. it is my staff of 40, my board

of nine amazing individuals who are api wellness center. we have been providing for the past 23 years hiv and health- related services for the asian- pacific islander communities here in san francisco and throughout the san francisco bay area in over 20 different languages. what we believe, actually, is very much related to the theme this year. is very much about foster and unity. hiv, hepatitis, many health- related illnesses that disproportionately affect our communities will take all of us together to fight these diseases, but also to fight the stigma and the discrimination that actually perpetuate diseases like hiv in our community. not only do we provide services -- and top-notch services in san francisco -- but because of its believe, we actually produce a national social marketing

campaign, and on may 19, the national asian, pacific islander hiv/aids awareness day, and as all of you to check our web site to find out about the press conference, the big events we are having here to give light to hiv and the stigma and discrimination that is within our communities and perpetuating this, and to take part in the festivities and the celebrations, actually, of the achievements that we have made throughout the many years, thank you so much. causing >> well deserved. >> now, to present the award for lifetime achievement, i would like to call upon san francisco supervisor david chiu to help me present. if you could join me at the podium, that would be great. when he comes up, i just want to say that this award -- again, in

your books -- it is for an individual's lifetime of community work, lifetime of seeking equal access and fair treatment for all. so, i guess, your own perfect the personal commitments. and we're going to call upon the finalists. they will be on the screen in this category. those of the finalists right here. >> thank you. i am honored to be here as the second supervisor chiu to present an award tonight. i think that is a real testament to the leaves and downs that our community has made here in san francisco. i wish we did not have to pick among these amazing leaders here, and i really also want to thank all of you in the audience because i know that every single one of you has led in your own

way in the amazing community that we call san francisco. without further ado, on behalf of the academy -- [laughter] it is now my pleasure to announce that the recipient of the 2010 apa heritage award in a lifetime achievement category is dr. edward chou. -- chow. [applause] he has been in private practice for over 40 years, since he was 5 years old, and he has been addressing health disparities in both the national and local level for over 25 years since he was 5 years old. he has worked with the chinese hospital and the chinese community health care association to create the nation's first and only bilingual and culturally competent health class. he also spearheaded the creation of the chinese community health resource center, which today serves over 30,000 san

franciscans. he currently serves on the san francisco health commission, which he has served for over 20 years, where he has been a staunch advocate of our community, requiring culturally competent programs, rebuilding lebanon hospital, san francisco general hospital, and encouraging support for the hepatitis b three program. he was quoted in today's "new york times" for his advocacy to that program. one of the first individuals are asked to come to my office to greet me was none other than this gentleman here, and i also want to remake a quick conversation i had with my mother recently. i told her i was going to present an award to the good doctor, and she asked me -- "i guess it is too late for you to good medical school?" [laughter] without further ado, doctor,

thank you so much for everything you have done for us. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. i am almost speechless for this honor, an honor which actually i never sought, and i am humbled receiving. it has been my great privilege to be able to work in this city, and in the spirit of the theme of tonight, which is headed and unity, i need to emphasize the

issue of heritage. first of all, like at the academy, and i'm waiting 40 lights to go off shortly, i do want to thank my parents, both of whom not only had the good foresight to have me born in san francisco in a chinese hospital, but also within the city here had shown me that there was more than just work, as they have themselves tirelessly worked within the community and the county here. i also want to thank, of course, my own family who gave me the opportunity, the time to be able to work within my own community and on different levels as the opportunity arose. lastly, i would like particularly to acknowledge that what -- that none of what was read could actually be possible by only one person and i was merely the steward of an issue

that chinese hospital had been founded for, which was access for care for health care what our people, and it is somewhat ironic, and i am pleased to be a health commissioner because back in the 1890's, did you realize that san francisco general did not accept chinese patients? i am pleased to say that today, i am making them do that. [applause] the issue of access has been that which has led almost all the work that i have done in my life. access for my patients, which i have been privileged to have the opportunity to serve, access for our community, from which we have been able to develop a program that has brought what i hope will be quality care in a culturally competent manner before they even thought about such standards, and access on

the national level. it continues to be part of my passion. it sounds like i should be retiring, and i am going to bring this to my membership. it is really time to do that, but i really do want to thank the physicians of our community who particularly had understood the need to not only serve our patients, but because we have a unique opportunity to speak on behalf of chinese and asian health issues to over 20 years ago actually believe that not only should we then develop systems to do that, but we need to seek it out on not only our local, but a national level, and they have allowed me and our colleagues opportunities to do that. once again, that is the heritage part. we are looking forward to

continue to remove our disparities and to have unity in health care for all in san francisco. thank you very much for this unique on. [applause] -- of unique honor. >> we must thank you for your great work bring awareness to be hep b situation. it is particularly important to the agents, and thank you for your awareness. i was just talking to supervisor chiu, and he wanted me to tell all of you that you are all invited to the supervisors' meeting tomorrow at city hall, 3:30. be there, please. because all of tonight's award recipients will receive special commendations by the supervisor. i just got this from david, this has come on down, everybody.

you are all invited. it will be fun, don't you think? to go to the meeting? [applause] special thanks, by the way to the awards committee and all the work they did because they really put together a great committee and of course, recognizing special individuals. now, we would like you all to say hello and welcome to a wonderful, talented troupe. they are the burmese youth association troupe, and they have a special performance for us. please give them a warm welcome. [applause]

♪ [singing in foreign language]